It’s no surprise that those teams are the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies — but Philly having the best record of the three is not what anyone predicted going into the campaign.
Have the Phillies passed the Braves and Dodgers as the NL’s team to beat? And what must each do from here on out to be the best of the group when it matters most? Our MLB experts weigh in.
Which of the NL’s Big Three has impressed you most so far?
Buster Olney: The Phillies have played a relatively easy schedule, but they have dominated — with their starting rotation, bullpen and deep lineup. The Braves’ offense has obviously been a problem, and the Dodgers will need more from the bottom half of their batting order. But Philadelphia is the best all-around team so far. It will be interesting to see how the Phillies fare as their schedule toughens and they begin playing postseason contenders with star-studded rotations. As one of the Braves said to me Saturday: “It feels like we are seeing a lot of aces so far.”
Jeff Passan: The last time Philadelphia played a team that is currently over .500 was March 31. So as fantastic as its MLB-best record is, the nod here goes to the Dodgers, who have scored more runs and allowed fewer than the Phillies. Los Angeles’ offense is wondrous, leading MLB in most categories of consequence, and its pitching is pretty fantastic too, with Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto playing co-aces nicely. And L.A.’s relief pitching as a potential weakness? The Dodgers’ 2.99 bullpen ERA is the best in the NL.
